In packaging equipment, it is common and frequently necessary to reorient a product or article from an orientation in an incoming product or article stream to another orientation prior to loading it into a carton or bin. This need is most common when the incoming product is of odd shape and requires nesting in the packaging carton, or if the carton contains cut outs to showcase a feature of the product. In many cases, the product is roughly rectangular with sides longer than narrower ends, and is conveyed in a single stream with either narrow product end edge leading or broad side edge leading. The product can be, but is not limited to articles of various types such as pouches, bars, or trays.
The terms “article” and “product” are used herein interchangeably.
While several prior methods are known for product reorientation in packaging processes, known systems have inherent problems.
For example, in a packaging apparatus or process, one form of product packaging may require a specific product reorientation, while the next form of product packaging may require a different reorientation. Such requirements mandate expensive equipment change-out, or downtime for re-adjustment, equipment replacement or the like. It is difficult if not impossible to accommodate multiple product reorientation configurations in the same equipment.
Also, where product supply and product receiving conveyors are aligned in parallel directions, the problem of missing articles (or “holes”) in an infeed or article supply line causes waste or downstream issues where an article is missing, or a formed article or product group is missing one or more of the articles or products. This is especially troublesome where product supply at a constant product pitch is anticipated but product is missing at a pitch position. Missing product or “holes” in the product supply line require filing or “healing”, accomplished in the past only by processes such as incomplete product group rejection, product storage or product collection to fill out incomplete product supply or product groups, manual product insertions, etc. There typically is no apparatus or free excess product at the reorientation station for hole healing.